Residents

The majority of sewer backups and overflows caused by fats, oils, and grease (FOG) originate in residential areas. You can help prevent clogs by learning about FOG and how to dispose of it. Some common sources of FOG include:

Meat

Fatty food scraps

Lard

Salad dressings

Creamy or oily sauces

Marinades

Milk and dairy products

Shortening

Butter or margarine

Peanut butter

By following three simple steps, you can help keep your pipes clog-free:

“Hot water dissolves grease!”

Not true! Using hot water and soap to “dissolve”
oil and grease and wash it down the drain will not work. Grease
will still stick to pipes after it cools.

“My in-sink disposal takes care of grease!”

Wrong again! A garbage disposal won’t make fatty
and greasy food scraps disappear. Once they’ve passed the
disposal, they can still clog the pipe.

“I’ve never had a clog, so there’s no problem!”

Wishful thinking! Just because fats, oils, and
grease make it down the drain doesn’t mean they aren’t building
up in your pipes and sewer lines. Over time, they can cause a
nasty clog and sewer backup or overflow!

Just as fat accumulates and causes blockages in human
arteries, oil and grease solidifies and accumulates in household
pipes, restricting the flow of wastewater and causing sewer
backups and overflows.

How it starts: Fats, oils, and grease (FOG)
separates from other liquids as it goes down your drain. The FOG
cools and sticks to household pipes and sewer pipes.

A matter of time: Over time, pipes become
clogged and sewage flow becomes restricted.

Nowhere to go but back: The clogged pipe
eventually backs up and floods your home with wastewater. Or it
causes it to overflow onto the street.

Are fats, oils, and grease (FOG) a real problem?

Yes! FOG is responsible for more than half of SASD’s sewer problems. When poured down the drain, FOG clogs the sewer system and causes backups or overflows. The result:

Property damage

Increased customer rates

Health and environmental hazards

Increased maintenance for cleaning messes and replacing sewer pipes

How does FOG create a sewer blockage?

When poured down the drain, FOG cools, solidifies, and floats to the top of other liquids in sewer pipes. The FOG layer sticks to the sewer pipes and, over time, restricts wastewater flow. It can then cause a sewer backup or overflow.

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